'Joker' Movie Poster Has Direct Reference to Martin Scorsese's 'The King of Comedy'
The Joker has appeared in multiple different Batman films, with various actors giving their own [...]
The Joker has appeared in multiple different Batman films, with various actors giving their own approach to the iconic Batman villain. The character has often been portrayed as a complex foil, though he is always assuredly the villain who causes chaos in Gotham. In Todd Phillips' upcoming Joker, Joaquin Phoenix is tasked with making audiences connect with the character's trajectory, a daunting task for the production. Various reports have claimed that the new film would draw heavily from Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy, with the latest poster paying homage to that film. Scorsese also serves as a producer on Joker.
Phillips posted the above poster, which shows a clown-faced Phoenix looking up towards the sky. Fans of The King of Comedy might recognize the jacket, as it is also worn by Robert De Niro's Rupert Pupkin in that film, as pointed out by Polygon.
In the 1983 Scorsese film, Pupkin believes himself to be a talented comedian, yet never gets the chance to have his big break. When he bumps into a popular talk show host, he tries to get a spot on his late-night program, only to be rejected. Pupkin opts to stalk the host, ultimately kidnapping him in exchange for a slot on his program.
Details about the plot of Joker have been kept to a minimum, with reports drawing similarities to Phoenix's character being a comedian who descends into madness.
Another interesting connection to King of Comedy is that De Niro stars in Joker, reportedly as a talk show host.
The film also stars Marc Maron, who recently detailed how the film will differ from other comic book films.
"I think it's a very interesting approach to this world," Maron explained to NME. "I've been somewhat judgemental when it comes to comic book movies and I've got a little pushback in the press for being a hypocrite. Whatever I think, if you get a call and someone says, 'Hey do you wanna do a scene with Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix?' your principles fall to the wayside. If it's relative to what I think of Marvel movies then it's like, 'Yeah, of course I'm gonna do that'. Oddly, it's not that kind of movie. The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker. It's more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It's going to be really interesting to see how it comes out."
Joker will land in theaters on October 10th.
Other upcoming DC films include Shazam! on April 5th, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.
Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below!
-----
Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.
In this latest episode, we talk about Star Wars: Episode IX , Avengers: Endgame opening early and more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!